Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 2009
Source: Annapolis County Spectator; The (CN NS)
Copyright: 2009 Transcontinental Nova Scotia Media Group inc.
Contact:  http://www.novanewsnow.com/rubrique-719-County-of-Annapolis.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4699
Author: Larry Powell

NO CONNECTION BETWEEN DRUGS AND OTHER CRIMES

Is there a connection between drugs and crime? One person who read 
last week's editorial posing that hypothesis says because The 
Spectator showed no empirical evidence, hard facts or interviews with 
experts, the conclusion that drugs and petty crime are related can't be drawn.

That's fair and we apologize for making that assumption. Although it 
is true that possessing, selling and buying illegal drugs is . well . 
illegal. The Canadian Criminal Code can back that up.

Every point in the editorial was discussed prior to publication with 
an RCMP officer in drug enforcement, with 18 years' experience in the 
Annapolis Valley, and he agreed about the supposed link between drugs 
and petty crimes.

Unfortunately, his experience and knowledge is not proof so it must 
be discarded. Also, 30 years of covering literally thousands of 
crimes as a journalist is not proof enough either that drugs and 
petty crimes are connected. A journalist is not an expert witness and 
we apologize for suggesting such a thing.

To all those hundreds of people who have suffered break-ins and 
thefts in Annapolis County, we retract the suggestion that in any 
instances drug use was a factor. Perpetrators may just as likely have 
hockey card addictions, mortgage payments to meet or oil bills to 
pay. Drug use should not be considered a crime motivator any more 
than should the aforementioned.

The reason sentencing judges send petty criminal after petty criminal 
to drug rehabilitation programs is anybody's guess. Would it be wrong 
to speculate that their crimes and drug use are related?

The editorial also suggested there is a drug problem in Annapolis 
County, but supplied no proof of that. In consideration of that lack 
of published proof, consider Annapolis County a drug-free zone until 
evidence to the contrary comes to light. This should be good news to 
the police and a weight from their shoulders.

Officers can spend their time in other pursuits and ignore a problem 
that may or may not exist. Addictions counselors can turn to other 
things such as gambling and alcohol problems if, in fact, any exist. 
Schoolteachers can get back to regular curriculum and stop warning 
youngsters about the dangers of a hypothetical problem that everyone 
thought was real.

The whole point of the editorial was that people personally know drug 
addicts and drug dealers. If the community as a whole were to take 
action against petty crimes they would be taking action against drug 
use and drug dealing. Sadly, or fortunately, depending on how you 
look at it, we provided no proven connection so the editorial was 
construed as misleading.

Still, we have to ask: why do the police keep saying drug use and 
petty crimes are connected? We think they might be linked somehow.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart